Terrorism, Crime and Justice

Module Aim

This summer school is designed to introduce visiting students to the criminal justice system and theories relating to crime and terrorism. Students will learn how the criminal law operates at both practical and theoretical levels, as well as developing an insight into trends and theories on terrorism, one of the most challenging international crimes in contemporary times. This module is offered solely to visiting students from universities outside of the jurisdiction.

Syllabus

The course is divided into three parts.

• Part 1 looks at criminal justice processes and explores issues such as victims rights, defendants rights, and theories of sexual crimes.
• Part 2 Explores fascinating criminological and penological theories, illuminating concepts such as the evolution of punishment, control, deviance and desistence.
• Part 3 explores terrorism and the challenges it poses, including the history of ‘uneasy governance’ in Ireland, the use of emergency laws and the impact of terrorism on the Rule of Law.

Learning Outcomes

Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Describe the operation of the criminal law at both practical and theoretical levels; Identify the key requirements for defining crime and criminal liability; Evaluate trends and theories on terrorism and related criminal justice issues; Determine the impact of historical events in shaping and defining emergency laws in Ireland; Utilise criminological theories in order to gain a deeper understanding of crime and the social and cultural influences that shape laws.

Affective (Attitudes and Values)

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Understand the various criminological and penological perspectives experienced in the course; Appreciate the rights of victims and defendants in the criminal process; Evaluate the impact of terrorism on the Rule of Law.

Texts

Prime Text/s

Kilcommins & Vaughan (2008) Terrorism, Rights and the Rule of Law: Negotiating State Justice in Ireland , Wilan Publishing

Other relevant text and sources:

Campbell, Kilcommins, O’Sullivan and Cusack (2021) Criminal Law in Ireland: Cases and Commentaries, 2nd ed , Clarus Press Healy, Hamilton, Daly and Butler (2020) The Routledge Handbook of Irish Criminology , Routledge Leahy and Fitzgerald O’Reilly (2018) Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws Procedures and Punishment , Clarus Press Robert W. White, Tijen Demirel-Pegg & Vijay Lulla (2021) ‘Terrorism, counterterrorism and ‘the rule of law’: state repression and ‘shoot-to-kill’ in Northern Ireland’ , Irish Political Studies 36:2, 263-290 Fearghal McGarry (2021) ‘Political Violence in Ireland’ in Richard English (ed) The Cambridge History of Terrorism. , Cambridge University Press Rogan (2014) Prison Law , Bloomsbury Professional Rogan (2011) Prison Policy in Ireland: Politics, penalwelfarism and political imprisonment , Routledge. (reading list subject to change).

Sites We Visit 

• Henry Street Garda Station Limerick
• Spike Island
• Limerick City and Environs
• Dublin City
• Cliffs of Moher/Lahinch